Zelos
Arc II – Part 22
Beta: naaha

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Omi gives everyone mics. "I don't know how much time we'll be able to give you, Yohji. Are you sure you don't want any backup?"

"I'll be fine, Bombay. The more noise you make, the better."

"I still think we're doing this the wrong way."

I turn to look at Aya. Lately, it seems like he just refuses to be on my good side. "I don't have time for this, Aya. I'm not going to start a fight."

"It's just that whenever it comes to him, you don't think ahead, you just lash out." I glare, there goes my 'no fighting' idea.

"THAT'S HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE!" I scream. The last of my patience vanishes before Aya's cold gaze.

"See what I mean." He rolls his eyes.

I close my mouth tightly, then open it again without even knowing what the hell I'm going to say.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Ken comes between us, a scolding look on his face that clearly means stop or face the music. "Whatever unresolved issues we have can be discussed later, when all of us are safe back at home." My eyes meet Ken's for a second and he adds, "Including Schuldig."

"That's the most sense anything's made tonight," I comment and Ken smiles, the ego boost clear on his face.

"Are we doing this or not?" Omi interrupts.

I nod once. The little scuffle between Aya and me is momentarily forgotten. The plan is simple: Aya, Ken and Omi will create a diversion while I sneak through the tunnel Nagi informed me about and get Schuldig out. If Aya and the others are forced to retreat, I have to follow suit, with or without my lover. That's the part of the plan that I don't like. It makes sense; there is a higher chance of me rescuing Schuldig if I am alive. But of course that's all in theory. Can I actually leave without him if the order is given? I pray to all that is high and mighty that it doesn't come to that.

Everyone double-checks their gear and synchronizes their watches.

"Can you hear me, Balinese?"

"Loud and clear, Bombay."

"Abyssinian, Syberian?"

"Roger."

"Ready."

Aya and Ken disappear from the rooftop using the ladder they came up on, Omi stays behind. For a few seconds I wonder why until Nagi shows up. The two teens exchange a glance but keep their faces serious. Nagi repeats once more what he said about the duct, adding some new minor details. I walk up to him, intentionally towering over him. "Is this a trap?" I ask straight out.

"Excuse me?" he says and his surprise seems genuine.

"Good enough," I answer, and walk over to the ledge of the building. When I look back Nagi still looks confused. Omi walks over to him, patting his shoulder and reassuring him with a smile. They wish me luck and I disappear toward the side of the building and into the tunnel. I reach its end quickly and stare down an empty hallway.

A few seconds later the lights go off and the fire alarm blares; that's my signal. I kick out the small gate in front of me, jumping out of the duct and into the hall. I destroy the camera in the corner and head down the hall quickly. I follow Nagi's advice and search for the stairs up to the top floor. With the devil's luck, I find the halls empty; the guards are most likely occupied with my teammates on the bottom floor. I reach an intersection at the same time that I hear footsteps. I hide in a storage closet nearby. The footsteps come closer, slowly, almost painfully so. I crack open the closet door to see who it is; my eyes widen a bit when I see the Oracle passing by. He stops and I sink back into the darkness of the closet. Nothing happens. No more sounds come from the corridor, so unless Brad Crawford learned how to fly, he is still standing in the middle of the hall.

"You know, hiding like a rat is unbecoming for a member of Weiss. And in the closet of all places, don't you think it's a little late for that?"

Every word is spoken with scorn and the pun doesn't escape me at all. I exit the closet, but keep a safe distance from the leader of Schwarz. His eyes seem either amused or bored, I can't really tell behind his glasses.

"Good choice," he says after a while. "This way, now."

He walks down the hall. I stay put. He stops and turns to face me.

"You want to see Schuldig, don't you?" He turns and continues down the hall; this time I follow. I try to make myself believe that this isn't a bad idea, that if he wanted me dead he would have tried it already. Yeah, right.

He enters a room. Schuldig's old boss is the only clue I have right now about my lover's whereabouts, so against all common sense, I go inside. The door gives access to a small hall; I cross it in just a couple of steps and end up in some sort of meeting room.

I find Crawford standing in the center of the room smiling arrogantly, a sight that is not at all reassuring. I put my fingers on my watch, keeping my distance. "Where's Schuldig?" I ask.

"He's fine," he answers. "Better than ever actually."

"Where is he?"

Crawford smirks and sits down on the nearest chair. "You can put down your weapon, I'm unharmed."

I get a firmer grip on my wire. "No thanks."

"Suit yourself."

"Where's Schu?" I ask again.

"He hates being called that, didn't he tell you?" he says. I don't answer. "Guess not. He must really like you then."

The guy is starting to piss me off. "Stop with the bullshit! Where is he?"

"He's here," he says nonchalantly. "It's going to be hard for you, and I'm not clear how it ends. But I'm actually rooting for you."

I frown, not understanding at all what he means. Before I can say another word, I feel the press of a familiar hand on my shoulder. I turn instantly and stare at Schuldig, who blinks at me with a slight grin on his face.

My heart skips a beat, and I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him to me. I press my cheek against his. "You're safe…"

"Kitten…"

I curl my fingers into his hair and press my lips against his cheek. The hand that was on my shoulder moves to the back of my neck. A pleasant shiver passes through my body and I pull back a little. I look at his eyes; wait, there is something wrong.

"Schu…?"

Everything happens quickly. Schuldig's grip on my neck tightens and he pulls me forward, crushing our lips together in a bruising kiss. The world melts into nothingness and all I feel is his hand on my neck, my fingers in his hair, the press of our bodies and his lips against mine. The kiss is broken just as quickly leaving me gasping for air. I wrap my arms around his neck and hold him once more; after a few moments I feel his strong arms across my back and he's holding me too. It feels so good, he's here, he's real and I have him back. All I want is to stay like this, to just have him as close to me as possible. But we have to leave; my teammates' diversion won't last forever.

"Are you alright?" I ask softly.

His voice is low, barely a whisper. "I'm fine."

I spare a glance at Crawford who is still sitting quietly in his chair, not even looking at us. I wrap a hand around Schuldig's wrist.

"Let's go," I say. I start on my way to the door, trying to pull Schuldig along with me, but he remains frozen on the spot. He makes a step on the opposite direction. "What are you doing?" I snap, refusing to let go of his wrist. He stops. A soft chuckle escapes from his lips, sending a cold shiver all through my body.

He moves suddenly, and I only have a second to see the look in his eyes. The last time he looked at me like that was a year ago, when he was trying to kill me. His fingers tighten around my neck. He squeezes hard as he pushes me away from him and slams me against the nearest wall. My head and back hit the hard surface with a loud crack. The fingers press even tighter and I choke. His face hovers above mine, just inches away.

"Kätzchen…" he purrs. "Do you want to die?"